Door check



NOV. 1, 1955 w, F L 2,722,443

DOOR CHECK Filed April ,14, 1950 0x 12/13 1]) 10 Z7 Z3 [3 I!) Q A A Z6 20 INVENTOR Harold Wa [fer Fe'zl/r 'TTORNEY United States Patent DOOR CHECK Harold Walter Falk, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Wright Products, Inc., St. Paul Park, Minm, a corporation of Minnesota Application April 14, 1950, Serial No. 155,878

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-79) My invention relates to an improvement in door checks and deals particularly with a type of check which acts to hold the door in closed position until it is manually opened.

Various types of door checks capable of preventing the slamming of spring urged doors have been previously constructed. Many of these devices employ a lever arm having a curved formation so that opposite ends thereof engage opposite sides of the door. A spring is provided for holding this lever in either extreme position. The present invention relates to a construction of the same general type, but including refinements of structure.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a door check supported in a suitable bracket. This bracket is formed in one piece and acts to enclose opposite sides of the check lever and to anchor to the door frame. The advantage of the particular structure lies in its simplicity and low cost of production.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a door check supporting bracket which is designed to enclose one end of the door check and to present a smooth and rounded outer surface. The shape of the bracket is such as to add to its appearance and to prevent injury to anyone coming into contact therewith.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a door check lever which is channel shaped in cross section. As a result the lever presents a smooth rounded outer surface when the door is in closed position and adds to the appearance of the device and the strength of the lever.

A further feature of the present invention lies in the ease with which the check may be assembled. The check includes an extremely small number of parts which can be assembled with ease. The lever is provided with rollers at opposite ends thereof, the rollers being riveted in place While the lever is free of the remainder of the structure. In addition to the roller supporting lever, the structure includes only the mounting bracket, the spring, and the spring anchor, all of which may be connected together in a minimum of time.

A feature of the present invention lies in the fact that the pivoted lever is pivoted to the supporting bracket by merely extending outward projections on the lever into receiving pockets on the bracket. As a result the pivots are formed integrally with the lever and the bracket so that an additional axis 'or pivot is unnecessary.

A further feature of the persent invention lies in the fact that the spring anchor is held in place by the force of the spring. The spring anchor fits through apertures in opposite sides of the mounting bracket and includes projections which engage the walls of the bracket to hold the anchor from longitudinal movement once the anchor is in place. The force of the spring holds the spring anchor in fixed position.

A further feature 'of the present invention lies in the fact that the spring anchor serves the double purpose of a limiting stop for limiting pivotal movement of the lever and as an anchor for the end of a spring. This double duty of the spring anchor eliminates the necessity of an additional part.

An added feature of the present invention relates to the improvement in the pivotal support connecting the pivoted lever to the supporting bracket. Such parts are usually connected by pivot shafts or rivets extending through aligned holes in the respective parts. As relatively light gauge metal is usually used in forming the parts, strain against such pivots soon deforms or wears the metal about the holes, enlarging the pivot holes or elongating them. With the present construction the life of the bearing is considerably increased without increasing the cost thereof, and a better product is obtained at a lower cost.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of my specification:

Figure l is a plan view of my door check showing the construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the check illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation view of the check.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the check lever in open position.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the check lever removed from the remaining structure.

Figure 6 is a sectional view through a detailed portion of the apparatus showing a part of the construction thereof.

The door check is indicated in general by the lever A and is designed for support upon a door frame. In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the numeral 10 indicates a portion of a door frame to which my device is anchored. The numeral 11 designates the door with which my check cooperates. As indicated the door check A is mounted on the frame 10 near the edge 12 of the frame so that the door check lever extends in the path of movement of the door 11. While not illustrated in the drawing, the door 11 is hinged to the frame 10 along the vertical edge of the door opposite the edge 13 illustrated.

The door check A includes two main parts; a mounting bracket indicated generally by the numeral 14 and a check lever which is indicated in general by the numeral 15. These two elements are pivotally connected as will be later described in detail. The mounting bracket 14 includes a pair of substantially parallel sides 16 and 17 which are connected along one edge by a rounded wall 19. The sides 17 and 16 are somewhat Wider apart at their mounting end than at their opposite end so that the walls 16 and 17 actually converge together somewhat. The base end of the mounting bracket is thus somewhat wider than the outer end of this element.

The mounting bracket 14 is provided with a pair of co-planar outwardly extending flanges 20 and 21 .connec'ted to the lower edges of the side walls 16 and '17. These flanges are provided with apertures 23 extending therethrough for accommodation of screws or bolts for holding the mounting bracket in place upon the door frame 10.

The lever 15 is constructed as best illustrated in Figures S and 6 of the drawings. The lever is preferably curved throughout its length and is channel shaped in cross section including a pair of generally parallel sides 24 and 2S and a rounded connecting edge 26. The sides 24 and '25 are spaced apart a distance proper to fit snugly between the side walls 16 and 17 of the mounting bracket. A pair of parallel arms 27 project from the sides 24 and 25 in parallel relation from one end of the lever 15.

A pivot or rivet 29 extends through the arms 27 and through a roller 30 so as to pivotally support this roller. The lever is likewise provided with a pair of parallel arms 31 which project from the sides 24 and 25 in parallel relation at the other end of the lever. These arms 31 have a pivot or rivet 32 extending therebetween so as to pivotally support a roller 33. The roller 33 is pivotally supported so that it may rotate freely between the supporting arms 31.

The mounting bracket sides 16 and 17 are provided with a pair of opposed outwardly projecting bulges 34 and 35. The lever 15 is provided with a pair of parallel arms 36 projecting in parallel relation from the sides 24 and 25, and these arms 36 are provided with a pair of projections or bulges 37 and 39. The bulges 37 and 39 extend into the bulges 34 and respectively and form a pivotal support for the lever 15. In other words, the lever 15 pivots about the center of rotation of the opposed projections 37 and 39 which are pivotally supported in the pockets 34 and 35.

A spring 40 extends between the lever 15 and the mounting bracket 14. As indicated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the lever 15 is provided with a pair of spaced apertures 41 therethrough, the portion of the lever between the apertures 41 being received inwardly from the remainder of the rounded edge 26. The end loop 42 of the spring 40 is threaded through the apertures 41 so as to form a firm anchor between the spring end and the spring.

A spring anchor 43 serves to support the opposite end of the spring 40. The spring anchor 43 comprises a generally rectangular body having a pair of spaced notches 44 and 45 therein. These notches 44 and 45 are of proper size to accommodate the spaced sides 16 and 17 of the mounting bracket and also to accommodate the spaced parallel sides 24 and 25 of the lever 15. Rectangular apertures 46 are provided in the bracket sides 16 and 17 to accommodate the anchoring member 43 and to permit the entire anchoring member to be inserted into place. The anchoring member is provided with a central notch 47 for accommodating the hook shaped end 49 of the spring 40 so as to anchor the second end of the spring. The spring 40 is expanded to some extent when engaged with the anchor 43 and as a result the anchor is held with the bracket walls engaged in the notches 44 and 45, thus preventing endwise movement of the anchoring member, while the spring is in place.

From Figures 4 and 6 it will be seen that the anchor 43 also serves an additional purpose, in that the anchor arrests further movement of the lever 15 after the door 11 has swung clear of the roller 33. In order to present a flat abutting edge which strikes the anchor 43, I notch the lever 15 at 38, as will be seen from an inspection of Figure 5.

The mounting bracket 14 is mounted upon the frame 10 so that the side of the bracket opposite the rounded wall 19 is substantially flush with the edge of the frame and so that the lever 15 projects inwardly therefrom in the path of movement of the door 11. When the door is closed, the bracket is in the position shown in Figure 1, the roller 33 engaging against the outer surface of the door and the spring 40 tending to hold the door closed. If the door 11 is pulled open the lever 15 is swung in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1 until the spring 40 passes the center line of the pivotal support of the lever. At this point the spring snaps over center position and tends to swing the lever 15 into the opposite extreme position as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

As the door 11 is closed the door engages the roller 30 and swings the lever 15 in a counter-clockwise direction until the spring 40 passes alignment with the pivot points of the lever 15. At this time the roller 33 engages against the outer surface of the door and tends to pivot the door toward closed position and to hold the door in this position.

The attractiveness of my door check is indicated by an examination of Figure 1 of the drawings, this figure showing the normal closed position of the door and the rounded form of the lever and its support when the door is closed. It will be noted that the outer edges of the lever and its bracket are ordinarily rounded so that there are no sharp edges to catch against nearby objects. At the same time, the shape is such as to enclose and conceal most of the operating mechanism. The structure may be assembled by merely forcing the lever between the side walls of the mounting bracket until the pivots move into place and by attaching the spring 40. One end of the spring 40 is usually first attached to the lever and the spring anchor 43 is next inserted in place. By stretching the spring 40 and engaging the free end thereof about the spring anchor, the assembly is complete. Obviously the assembly thus described does not include the attachment of the rollers 30 and 33, these being connected to the lever while the lever is free of the mounting bracket.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my door check, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A door check including a mounting bracket having a pair of opposed sides, the sides containing transversely aligned apertures, a lever, means detachably pivoting said lever to said bracket, spring means connecting said lever and bracket, and a removable spring anchor comprising an elongated element having its end portions of a size capable of passing through said apertures and provided with notches substantially normal to the axis of said anchor for engaging edge sections bordering said apertures to prevent transverse movement of said spring anchor when said spring means is connected thereto, said spring exerting a pull on said anchor in a direction to engage said bracket sides in said notches to prevent spreading apart of said bracket sides.

2. A door check including a mounting bracket having a pair of opposed sides, a channeled lever, means pivotally connecting the sides of said lever to said bracket, a removable spring anchor extending between the sides of said bracket, said bracket sides having aligned apertures through which said anchor may extend, and notches in said anchor near the ends thereof designed to embrace a portion of the bracket sides adjacent to said apertures, said notches operating, when engaged, to prevent endwise movement of said anchor relative to said bracket sides, and spring means connecting said lever and anchor and holding said notches in bracket side engaging position.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and in which the pivotal connecting means comprises outwardly bulged inwardly opening pockets in said bracket sides, and interengaging outwardly bulged projections on the sides of said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 832,020 Keil Sept. 25, 1906 1,586,836 Parsons June 1, 1926 1,707,682 Parsons Apr. 2, 1929 2,094,446 Clement Sept. 18, 1937 2,394,878 Slopa Feb. 12, 1946 2,460,881 Goserud Feb. 8, 1949 2,475,471 Brown et al. July 5, 1949 

